Reading Group Guide
1. Civil wars divide families. How has it divided the families in this story?
2. Abraham tells Mary that compromise is a necessary commodity, but not all the characters agree. How do Mary, Tempe, and General Wayne feel about compromise? How do you feel about it? When should you compromise, and when should you stand firm?
3. What does Mary mean when she says that everyone is part and parcel of the whole of their life experiences? In what ways have your life experiences determined who you are now?
4. Mary tells Henry, "Sometimes it helps to air old ills in the sunlight." What does she mean?
5. Tempe believes that a person's motives do not matter as much as their actions. Do you think one is more important than the other? Why?
6. In what ways might Henry's living as a lunatic make his life easier? Harder?
7. Abraham advises Mary that "those closest to the problem cannot see the solution." Do you think this is true? Who can you turn to when you have a problem?
8. In his letter to Mary, Abraham says, "I choose to look at the past fondly and to the future with hope." Why might he choose to see things this way? How should he handle his unhappy memories?
Copyright (c) 2003. Published in the U.S. by Harcourt, Inc.
